Reading the story with eyes wide open
Gate Pa – Epiphany 1 2013
Readings:
Hebrew Scripture: Isa 43:1-7
Psalm: Psalm 29
Epistle: Acts 8:
14-17
Gospel: Luke
3:15-17,21-22
What I want to say:
1. I want to explore the
assumptions that prevent us really reading stories of scripture, particularly
the gospels
2. I want to explore the
story of Jesus’ baptism to ask again:
who are we
whose are we
what is outs to do?
What I want to happen:
1. I want people to read
stories of the gospels with fresh eyes
2. ask question – what does
God say to us through our baptism
The Sermon
1. Introduction:
When we read stories like baptism of Jesus there are a couple
of this that get in the way of really reading that story
thought
spend a few minutes looking at those things.
2. All Too Familiar
just too familiar
we think we know what is
happening
sometimes, like with stories
like baptism Jesus, this story that we know is really a a merged version of
that story
classic example of this
is the Christmas story
we all know the Christmas
story don’t we
but stories in gospels
are very different
different because trying
to do different things
gospels are no history
books
not biographies
they are books of
theology
talking about who God is though telling us who they understand
Christ to be
theologies are different
loose that when merge
stories
lets explore
3. Christmas revisited
·
who tells Christmas story?
small groups
·
what are the differences?
·
why do you think there are those differences?
ð discuss
four stories of baptism in gospels,
all slightly different
go home and
read them and ask,
·
how are the baptism stories different and the same?
·
why do you think there are those differences?
4. Bring our world view
Second thing that stops us really
hearing the story is bring C21st century world view to it all
ð who was shocked by Acts
reading?
ð Jesus age
o how would you describe Jesus
at age 30?
“In the cities of antiquity
nearly a third of the live births were dead before age six. By the mid-teens 60
percent would have died, by the mid-twenties 75 percent, and 90 percent by the
mid-forties. Perhaps 3 percent reached their sixties. Few low-status people
lived out their thirties. The ancient glorification of youth and veneration of
the elderly (who in non-literate societies are the only repository of community
memory and knowledge) are thus easily understood. Moreover, we might note that
at thirty (Luke 3:23) Jesus was not a young man, that much of his audience
would have been younger than he, disease-ridden, and looking at a decade or
less of life expectancy.”
Bruce Malina; Richard L.
Rohrbaugh. Social Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels (Kindle Locations
5095-5098). Kindle Edition.
ð read baptism repentance –
what comes to mind?
repentance + forgiveness is not about
individual moral acts
about families
debt
and loss of land
loss
of status, place in society
exclusion
from community
loss
of means income
forgiveness
was about forgiveness of debt and restoration of land, and honour, and the
place in the community.
what then is John’s baptism in that
light?
what is Jesus baptism in that light?
discuss
Things to
keep in mind in the discussion
John clear in all stories that he is not Messiah
feels like still communities following John, all gospel
writers want sort this out, include those communities within their own movement
winnowing fork – not about individual people, but acts and
motivations of people
establishes Jesus identity
a. suffering
servant Isaiah 42 – theme Luke continue develop in next chapter
b. in Middle
Easter world, as in many places – establishing patriarchal lineage very important,
establishes your identity, your place
in society, who you belong to and who you do not belong to like Maori whakapapa
establishes
what can and can’t do
especially important for ruling
class
inheritance
role in society- positions
– priest, king, etc…
in Luke – baptism is almost incidental
yes Jesus is
baptised
he is part
of that group
Dove comes after baptism
Comments